Get Trained

Get Trained

Coast to Forest

The Coast to Forest project delivers a variety of trainings including:

For more information on any of these program offerings, please contact us.

Adult Mental Health First Aid

Through this training, you will develop the skills and confidence to help others in crisis and promote healing. Participants in this course commit to a total of 8-hours of coursework which includes two hours of self-paced pre-work and a six-hour instructor-led session.

Adult Mental Health First Aid covers the following and is offered in both English and Spanish:

  • Mental health conditions
  • Substance abuse disorders
  • Mental health stigma
  • Community resources for getting help
  • How to respond to a person in crisis

Attend a training

If you are interested in attending a training, please check out available opportunities or by visiting our contact us page to request more information on how we can partner together to deliver a course.

Youth Mental Health First Aid

Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach family, friends, and community members how to help an adolescent (12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The training introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations.

Topics covered include:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Substance Use
  • Disorders in which psychosis may occur
  • Disruptive behavior disorders
  • Eating disorders

Elsewhere in Oregon

If you live elsewhere in Oregon and are interested in participating in a YMHFA training, please visit Mental Health First Aid for Youth.

Question, Persuade, Refer

Like CPR, Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. It requires approximately 1-2 hours of commitment and covers the following:

  • How to Question, Persuade and Refer someone who may be suicidal
  • How to get help for yourself or learn more about preventing suicide
  • The common causes of suicidal behavior
  • The warning signs of suicide
  • How to get help for someone in crisis

Elsewhere in Oregon

If you live elsewhere in Oregon and are interested in participating in a QPR training, please visit Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR).

Farm and ranch community

If you are a member of or serve the farm and ranch community and would like to attend a QPR training, please visit Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network.

Community Conversations

Coast to Forest has supported multiple rural counties in setting local policy priorities by adapting SAMHSA’s Community Conversations About Mental Health, a best practice toolkit that supports community collaboration for addressing mental health needs.

These conversations have allowed local leaders to reach informed consensus and commit to priorities.

Resulting action plans have been used to prioritize funding, inform opioid settlement investments, guide CCO decision making, operationalize investments, and increase collaboration around prioritized action areas.

Reports

For additional information, please refer to the final reports below:

Community Conversations Facilitator Training

Facilitator Webinar Training

This webinar-style training equips future facilitators with the necessary skills to adapt and deliver SAMHSA’s Community Conversations About Mental Health, a best practice toolkit that supports community collaboration for addressing mental health needs. These skills include leading discussion and action planning on mental health, opioid use, and substance use. Participants will also learn how to convene diverse partners to engage in challenging conversations.

Anyone interested in convening these conversations in their local communities is welcome to attend. This can include, but is not limited to, Extension, public health, behavioral health or school-based professionals, representatives from community-based organizations, traditional health workers, or other community stakeholders.

Facilitator Toolkit

This facilitator’s guide was adapted from Community Conversations about Mental Health, an evidence-based tool from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The original tool is an evidence-based tool developed for engaging communities about mental health issues facing youth. We adapted it to focus on engaging community leaders to address a greater spectrum of challenges with mental health and substance use issues affecting communities. This toolkit offers tips for facilitators by providing presentation, handouts, and system maps templates and a full guide discussing steps and preparation for delivery a Community Conversation. 

  1. Facilitator Guide
  2. Presentation Slide Templates
  3. Handouts
  4. Sample System Maps

Substance Use Disorder 101

Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) 101 is an introductory course that provides an overview of substance use disorders, along with evidence-based approaches to prevention, intervention, and treatment.

Whereas other continuing education courses on substance use tend to focus on specific professions or situations, this course takes a more comprehensive and inclusive approach and is uniquely designed for anyone interested in helping individuals or communities impacted by substance use disorders.

To learn more, please visit Substance Use Disorders 101.

De-Stigmatizing Media Training

This one-hour training is designed to equip practitioners, journalists, advocates, and other communicators with framing principles to help tell a new story about alcohol and drugs. To learn more about previous trainings we’ve done, please visit Telling a New Story About Alcohol and Drugs.

Please visit our contact us page for more information.

A Needs Assessment for Public Health and Public Safety Partnerships in the Oregon Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area

In 2022, the OSU Center for Health Innovation (OCHI) conducted a needs assessment for the 16-county Oregon-Idaho High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) with funding from the University of Baltimore Center for Drug Policy and Prevention. The goal for the project’s first year was to understand local needs in such a way as to envision a forward-focused “2.0” vision for public health and public safety partnerships in the region.

To read, visit PH&PS Overdose Partnership Needs Assessment.

Perspectives on the Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act (Measure 110)

An Addendum to “A needs assessment for public health and public safety partnerships in the Oregon Idaho High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA),” originally completed May 2023.

To read, visit OCHI HIDTA Addendum.

How to Respond After a Suicide: A Guide for Extension Professionals

This tool aims to help OSU Extension faculty and staff connect with postvention efforts in their local community in the event of a suicide. This toolkit provides:

  • Background on suicide prevention and postvention practices
  • Community and policy context behind postvention planning
  • A timeline of postvention activities
  • Specific factors to consider when tailoring postvention efforts
  • Media and safe-reporting practices
  • Sample postvention evaluation metrics
  • Resources that may be used for your own postvention efforts

To read, visit OSU Extension Catalog.

NW ROTAC Radio Promotion Toolkit

This radio promotion toolkit contains resources for how to effectively engage with radio stations and develop content. This includes best practices for connecting with local radio stations, a breakdown of different options for radio outreach, sample interview guides, public service announcement (PSA) scripts, and phone and email templates for connecting with radio partners.

To view, visit ROTAC NW Regional Resources.

Other Curated Trainings

Climate Stress and Grief: Building Resilience in Farmers and Ranchers

Due to the increasing stress and uncertainty of the future of farming due to climate change, more farmers are seeking mental health support. This project, based at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, offers a variety of workshops and trainings to help food producers better identify and understand stress and grief related to climate change, identify strategies for greater mental health resilience, and learn about available mental health resources.

Peer Support Specialists

Peer Support Specialists (PSS) are people with lived experience who provide support for those in recovery for mental health or substance use. Peer Support Specialists can provide support in a variety of ways including acting as a peer mentor, helping advocate for someone in recovery, connecting individuals with resources, and more.

Specific training and certification requirements vary by state.

To become a Peer Support Specialist in Oregon, an individual must:

  • Self-identify as someone in recovery from a substance use disorder, mental health condition, or problem gambling AND
  • Complete an approved training program or provide approved certification documentation AND
  • Complete an approved oral health training

To learn more about how to become a Peer Support Specialist in Oregon, please visit Peer Support Specialist Training Requirements for Certification.

SMI Advisor: Clinical Support System for Serious Mental Illness

A grant-funded project that houses an extensive education catalog of over 200 trainings for providers focused on serious mental illness (SM).

Let's Talk About It: A Graphic Guide to Mental Health

The Center for Cartoon Studios created Let’s Talk About It: A Graphic Guide To Mental Health for middle and high school students. It is a lively and educational 24-page comic book that destigmatizes the conversation around mental health. Created by mental health experts, educators and cartoonists, this comic provides knowledge and resources for students to help them be healthier and more resilient.